Work Text:
Eddie’s at work one day when the blonde bombshell comes strolling in like he’s a literal ray of sunshine that lights up the entire building. This is his florist shop, his pride and joy, opening it with Christopher when he’d finally got them away from his overbearing parents. He’s always wanted to be his own boss, and he combined that with his overwhelming love of flowers to get this shop.
Flowers are incredible things, the meaning behind them so unknown to many people but to Eddie, it’s like a secret language only he knows. He listens to his customers and what they want to say to the lucky recipient and then makes the bouquet that means the most. He never tells them though, they never ask. They just take the flowers and smile because they look pretty. But he’s becoming known for having fresh, beautiful flowers and his customer base is growing exponentially.
He’s never seen Beautiful before, though, he’s definitely someone he’d remember seeing around.
“Hi, can I help you?” he asks when Beautiful stops and stares and looks scared as he gazes at all the displays in front of him.
He startles and turns to face Eddie and his mouth breaks into the most blinding smile Eddie thinks he’s ever seen. “Hi,” he says, clearing his throat. “Hi.”
Eddie has to hide a smile, overwhelmed with the vision of beauty in front of him. Large blue eyes, blonde curls, what looks like a perfect body… and he shakes his head because he’s not allowed to perve over a customer after all.
“Can I help you?” he repeats instead. “Do you need some help?”
Beautiful blinks slowly and then shakes himself. “Yes!” he says, almost bouncing on the soles of his feet. “I need some flowers.”
Of course he does, Beautiful probably has an equally lovely partner just waiting at home for him. Eddie tries to keep his face neutral.
“My sister has just moved to town and I want to give her something nice for her new house,” Beautiful says and Eddie can’t help the flash of hope in his stomach. Even though he knows he’ll never see Beautiful again, at least he’s not buying for a partner. And then that makes Eddie angry at himself too, because Beautiful should be happy.
He realises he’s not said anything for a while and almost trips over himself in the need to answer and not seem like he’s being weird. “Your sister?” he hums to himself as he walks forward, selecting the appropriate flowers. “How about these? Daffodils, pansies and cornflowers maybe?”
He picks up sprigs of the flowers as he speaks, watching as Beautiful smiles and nods as he sees how they sit together, their colours perfectly matching. Eddie returns to the desk, grabbing cellophane and ribbons as he does and starts to place the flowers in the exact arrangement he wants.
Beautiful leans on the counter and watches, his eyes warm and friendly. “You like flowers?” he asks and he sounds interested, not like he’s teasing or trying to be funny.
“Yeah,” Eddie admits, looking up briefly and smiling at his lovely face. “They mean such a lot, if you have the right selection, that is.”
“What do these mean then?” he sounds interested, like Eddie is fascinating and not just a flower geek and that makes Eddie’s heart jump even more. Beautiful and sweet. He must surely be the perfect man?
“Daffodils, for fondness and respect and happiness when you’re with that person. Also forgiveness, just in case there’s any sibling rivalry at any point. Pansies for a remembrance of shared times and cornflowers for a good luck charm, because that can’t hurt with moving somewhere new.”
He’s focusing on tying the bow perfectly and when he does look up, Beautiful is just staring at him, his mouth a little open and his eyes wide. “Wow,” he breathes when Eddie’s eyes meet his. “That’s amazing.”
“Thank you,” Eddie feels a little embarrassed, it’s the first time he’s ever mentioned flower languages to any customer before, but Beautiful is different. He deserves to know why Eddie picked those flowers for his sister.
Beautiful’s lovely blue eyes crinkle as he takes the bouquet almost reverently. “Maddie will love these,” he says, with yet another blinding smile. “Thank you, so, so much.”
Eddie thinks about asking for his name when he pays, but he can’t. He watches as Beautiful backs out of the shop, waving as he goes.
At least his day has been brightened by his presence, even if he’ll never see him again. He hopes he’s made a small difference to his life.
He’s wrong. Beautiful comes back a week later, a shy smile on his lovely face as he opens the door to the shop. “Hi, Eddie,” he greets and Eddie blinks because he’s sure he didn’t tell him his name. The confusion must have shown on his face because he laughs a little, like he’s embarrassed. “I looked your shop up on google, your name is listed,” he says and Eddie’s overwhelmed that he searched for him.
He hides his confusion by putting his best customer service voice on. “Do you need more flowers? Did your sister like the others?”
“Yeah and yeah,” Beautiful says and he leans on the counter, tall and gorgeous. “You’re great with your hands, you know. And the flowers were beautiful too and lasted so well. And when I told Maddie what they meant, she was overjoyed. So thank you.”
Eddie can’t quite tell if he’s flirting or just being friendly, but he’s flustered anyway. “What can I help you with this time?” he asks, sure now it’s going to be flowers for a lover.
“I’ve just started work,” Beautiful says, looking bashful. “At a fire station…” Eddie tunes out for a second because he’s a fire fighter as well as being sex on legs? What has he ever done to deserve this torture? But Beautiful is still talking, like he hasn’t lost Eddie’s coherent thoughts along the way. “So my Captain is having a welcome to the team party for me and I want to take flowers for his wife. She’s a Sergeant in the LAPD and she's a badass and I want her to like me. And I thought you may help because you’re amazing.”
And he stops and smiles so brightly at Eddie that he can’t think for a second.
“Ok,” he coughs, trying to bring things back to earth. “Let me think.” He starts to walk around the shop and Beautiful follows him, like an eager puppy, interested in whatever Eddie has to say. “What about these? Light red carnations, to show admiration. Yellow roses, for friendship. And pink stargazer lilies, for honour and aspiration?” He picks the flowers as he talks, noticing how Beautiful’s face lights up as they move around.
“That sounds perfect,” he says, watching as Eddie ties this bouquet up and presents it to him. “Athena will love them.”
On his way out, he turns at the door. “Buck,” he says. “I’m Buck.”
“Pleased to meet you, Buck,” Eddie manages to get out. Once he’s gone, his legs give out and sits down, rather breathless. Buck. Beautiful has a name, maybe he’ll keep coming back? Eddie hopes so much.
Buck does come back, on more or less a weekly basis. He asks for flowers for lots of different people, his neighbours, his friends, never a partner. Everytime he comes in he leans against the counter and talks, more and more as time goes on. Eddie learns about his past, the jobs he’s had before becoming a firefighter, how things are going at the station. He learns what Buck likes to eat and drink and listen to, his favourite tv shows, how he knows lots of random facts about everything under the sun, but he’d never heard about flower languages before. And in return Eddie tells him about Christopher, Shannon, the Army, his parents.
It’s nice having a friend, even if he wants more. He doesn’t want to ruin what’s become the best thing in his life after Christopher. His first real friend.
And then other people start coming in. A tall, beautiful lady wearing the LAFD uniform. “I’m Hen,” she greets him, “I work with Buck, he told me your shop was amazing. I’d like some flowers that mean something special for my wife.”
He sorts out some dahlias for her, for lasting bonds and commitment. She asks what they mean and when he tells her she gets a bit misty eyed and gives him a hug before taking the flowers and leaving him a tip.
A woman, with a baby in a pushchair and her partner. “I’m Maddie,” she introduces herself as when she enters and Eddie frowns because he recognises the name. It takes him a while to place it. Buck’s sister. “He was right,” he hears her whisper to her boyfriend when they’re browsing flowers, “he is dreamy, isn’t he?”
The man, Han according to his coat, gives him a look over his shoulder. “I guess so,” he says back to Maddie and Eddie tries to not listen to any more of their conversation. He gives them a bunch of chrysanthemums for free, stuttering a little when he tells them they’re a sign of joy and long life, for their daughter. Maddie beams at him, like he’s made her day as she tucks them away carefully.
The next time Buck comes in is with an older man, his captain, Eddie surmises from his fire department coat. Buck is smiley but quieter than normal, and waits until his captain is out of earshot before leaning in. “Bobby wants some flowers for the station, maybe a plant? I told him you knew everything about flowers and to come here,” he says, trying to be cheerful but his eyes are sad and Eddie wonders what’s happened to him on the shift that’s caused him to be sad. He can’t have that, and so Eddie can’t help himself anymore.
He points out some plants that will last for the firehouse and then selects two of the nicest sunflowers he has in the shop. He ties a yellow ribbon around them and hands them to Buck. “What?” he says, his fingers clenching around the stems gently.
“It’s a gift,” Eddie says, and doesn’t tell Buck what they mean, even if he thinks everyone could guess. Sunflowers for happiness, what he’s been feeling ever since Buck started coming into his shop. Buck looks at them, flushes prettily and this time his smile reaches his eyes for the first time that visit.
It turns into a thing, Buck still comes in so often, sometimes just to chat or help Eddie take stock, and every day Eddie finds a new flower to give to him. He never tells him the meanings, but Buck’s cheeks are always pink when he leaves and his smile is always soft and warm and gentle when he arrives. He leans closer to Eddie every single time. He wishes he was brave enough to ask him out, instead of using flowers as a tool to court him.
White Cala lilies,
Irises,
Freesias,
Stocks,
Pink camellias,
And finally. Peonies.
The day after the peonies, Buck turns up, and stands at the doorway. “I need a bouquet of flowers,” he says and his voice is different, tight and taut.
“Ok,” Eddie wonders if he’s pushed things too far, maybe he misread things.
Buck has a list of flowers, and every one he reads off, Eddie’s heart drops a little more. This is a bouquet for a lover. It’s clear by what he’s picking.
Lavender roses, red roses, pink asters, orange roses, red tulips, dark red carnations, red camellias and an amaryllis.
Eddie tries to keep a professional face as he ties the flowers up, a lump in his throat nethertheless. He hopes Buck will still keep coming to visit him. He hands over the bouquet with a smile fixed on his lips.
Buck hesitates when he has the bouquet, looking at it in wonder. And then he holds it back out to Eddie, an unusually nervous look on his face.
“For you,” he says and Eddie can’t compute. His brain stops working and he just stands and stares.
“What?” he manages to get out.
“For you.” Buck repeats and he smiles slowly, shyly. “I researched what the flowers were that you kept giving me. Eddie, it’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. And I want to date you, but I thought I’d try asking you in a language you understand.”
He steps forward, touching the petals of the flowers reverently. “I researched what I wanted to tell you and picked these. Because Eddie, you’re special to me. And I want you to realise that and to thank you for brightening up my days so much. So, would you go out with me?”
Eddie forgets that he’s at work, that he’s holding the most beautiful, emotive bouquet in his hands. He flings himself at Buck, finally pressing his lips against the other man’s softly. Buck laughs, his hands coming around Eddie’s waist and kissing him back just as gently.
“Yes,” Eddie manages to say, in between kisses and smiling. “Yes, I will go out with you.”
“Good,” Buck shuffles his feet, glancing at Eddie, his eyes dancing and sparkling. “Because I was running out of reasons why I needed to buy flowers and people to send on my behalf.”
Eddie shakes his head a little and stands on his toes to kiss Buck again, laughing in the centre of the shop, happy. “You’re incredible,” he says and Buck ducks his head.
“Only for you,” he says and Eddie should be embarrassed at the line, but he can’t bring himself to be.
He’s already planning the bouquet he’s going to take Buck on their first, of hopefully many, dates.